The New Jersey Devils were unable to finish their chances in a 3-0 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Despite numerous grade-A chances and an excellent performance from goaltender Andrew Hammond, the Devils failed to put a goal on the board. As Dougie Hamilton’s snapped stick proved, it was one of the Devils’ more frustrating games of the season.
First Period
The Devils did not have a good first period, posting a Corsi-for percentage (CF%) of 44. This means they only had 44.00 of the shot attempts. They killed a Detroit powerplay early in the game but did not generate momentum from it. Later, Oskar Sundqvist drew first blood for the Red Wings, giving Detroit a 1-0 lead going into the first intermission.
Second Period
New Jersey had a horrendous second period offensively, only generating two shots until close to the end of the period. This period even included two successive Jakub Vrana penalties. Despite this, Hammond stood tall in net, stopping a Detroit offense that notched a CF% of 65.00 in this frame. The score remained the same, but the Red Wings went into the second intermission with a clear advantage.
Third Period
The Devils picked up the pace in the third period, threatening to tie the game with numerous offensive chances. Unfortunately for them, none of those chances succeeded because no one could hit the net.
A particularly egregious example of this came when, even though he was on a clean breakaway, Pavel Zacha missed the net entirely on the best chance of the game. Late in the game, New Jersey tried to make an effort with Hammond pulled but ended up allowing two empty-net goals to seal the game.
Results
Overall, this had to be one of the Devils’ most frustrating games all season, and that’s saying something. The Devils were playing for nothing but pride, but after this game, were unable to gain any.
The Devils now hold a record of 27-44-8 and are in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division. The Red Wings own a record of 31-29-10 and sit in sixth place in the Atlantic Division.
Game Notes:
Hit the Net!
As mentioned earlier, the main reason for yesterday’s loss was the Devils’ inability to aim their shots correctly. Zacha’s missed attempt was the most egregious example, but there were many others, including a missed shot by Yegor Sharangovich on a golden two-on-one opportunity.
Even though young players like Jack Hughes have found an ability to finish their chances this season, it is still a massive problem team-wide. Head coach Lindy Ruff will surely want to address it in his next practice.
Andrew Hammond Performs Well
Before yesterday, Andrew Hammond had been a disaster in net for New Jersey, posting an .858 save percentage (SV%) in five outings. Yesterday, however, Hammond performed brilliantly. He stopped 21 of 22 shots that came his way for a .955 SV%. He also saved 1.99 goals above expected (per Evolving Hockey).
Up Next
The Devils will take on the Ottawa Senators Tuesday at 7:00 PM EDT.